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READING RIGHT NOWHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel (Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.

JUST FINISHED: The Help (Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.

FINISHED: The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); Bound: A Novel by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)

IN THE POWDER ROOM: Our guest half-bath has a little table with a pile of books that I change every now and then. They’re books that might pique someone’s interest even if for a very short read. The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy; Sara Midda’s South of France: A Sketchbook; Spain…A Culinary Road Trip (Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); Other People’s Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See; (edited by Bill Shapiro); Monet’s Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet (by Joyes); The Trouble with Poetry: And Other Poems (Billy Collins).

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My blog's namesake - small engraved sterling silver tea spoons that I use to taste as I'm cooking.

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 cc-thick-chewy-cookies1

One would think that after making umpteen batches of CC cookies, I’d really be tired of them. Well, remember, nearly all of these are going to a friend of mine who needs to eat them to gain some weight (cookies seem to go down easier than other foods, she says – and only CC cookies, not other types). And hey, I’m doing this cookie testing for the sake of research, right? You know that kind of rationalization, don’t you? Naturally, I do have to taste some of them in the name of quality control, too. Right? Right.

So, if you’ll recall from reading my other posts, my friend Norma really prefers thicker, softer and more chewy (but most definitely not crisp) CC cookies. My last two attempts were moderately successful in that regard – the chewy type, but they were still crispy. I thought perhaps this batch would be better on the chewy scale, since it was in the title. Well, they are chewy, but they’re CRISP-chewy. Not what Norma prefers. For her, these will still have to be dunked in milk. For me, however, they are outstanding – nice mounds of cookie, with crispy edges. 

The recipe came from Heather R. (reprinted below by permission) over at Chocolate Bytes (a blog). I subscribe via RSS feed, so get all the updates on chocolate doings there. The title of her post was “The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie.”

The batter came together as easily as any regular CC cookies – except the proportions of things were somewhat different (different volumes of brown and white sugar, 1 egg plus an egg yolk). The batter looked just like Tollhouse, but it’s NOT. The cookies don’t thin out hardly at all – they make a nice mound. And they’re baked at 325, definitely lower than Tollhouse. The edges are nice and crispy and the insides are chewy, a bit. Not much, but some. FYI: the recipe made 48 cookies, and took 12 minutes in my oven, using Convection/Bake.

Norma will definitely eat them, but they may not be her favorites. I did hold back a few just to test them after a day to see how they are. Ah-hem. Right? As head of quality control, I’m required to do that, right? All my cookies go into the freezer when I make them, and I actually prefer eating them from a frozen state anyway.

My DH has had several of these cookies, and tells me he thinks they are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Because I only kept about 10 of them, I may have to make another batch. They’re that good. And then keep researching and testing to find a softer one that my friend really likes. Sigh. More CC cookie research in my future. [grin]  And thanks to Heather for the great recipe. She doesn’t remember where she got the recipe, so we’ll credit her for it, for now.

As a result of writing up this post I finally decided to go hunting in my files (remember, I have FILES of recipes, divided up by category, in manila-folder sleeves so they don’t fall out the sides) where I knew I had an article or two about why cookies are thin/crisp/chewy/puffy. Sure enough. I found both. One was from Food & Wine magazine, the other from our local newspaper. I think the articles deserve a write-up of their own – along with photos and taste-tests of the cookie recipes contained within. So, according to both articles, I’ll try two CC cookie recipes that are assured to be soft and puffy. More like what Norma wants. So, stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you like thick, chewy AND crispy cookies, these are your ticket to nirvana. Guaranteed.

Thick Chewy [and Crispy] Chocolate
Chip Cookies

Recipe: From Chocolate Bytes blog
Servings: 48

DRY INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
COOKIE DOUGH:
6 ounces butter — 1 1/2 sticks
1 cup brown sugar — packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside. Mix butter and sugars in mixer until well combined.. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
3. Using a cookie scoop, place cookies two inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. [I used Silpats.]
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
Per Serving: 117 Calories; 7g Fat (48.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 68mg Sodium.
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Year Ago: I posted one of my favorite recipes, Grilled Salmon on Watercress Salad

Posted in Cookies, on March 28th, 2009.

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  1. Heather

    said on March 28th, 2009:

    Hi Carolyn! I’m so glad you liked the cookies! I do apologize – I responded to your query in my own comments and spaced on emailing you. Please do feel free to reprint the recipe if you’d like — I had printed it out a while ago but failed to bookmark where I got it myself, and I’ve seen it around here and there anyway, so I think it’s safe to share.

    Thanks, Heather. I’ll do so. Appreciate you getting back to me . . . Carolyn T

  2. June

    said on March 28th, 2009:

    Heather responded to you in her comments!

    Thanks, June. Got it. I’ve revised the post including the recipe. . . Carolyn T

  3. Kathleen Heckathorn

    said on March 28th, 2009:

    Hi Carolyn,
    The cookie recipe sounds really good. I’ll give it a try, all in the name of research!
    Where did you get those cute file folders??
    Kathleen

    Hi Kathleen – thanks. And yes, these cookies are gosh darned good. The folders are available at most of the big office stores – they’re called pocket folders, I think. There are some that even have accordion pleats at each side, but they’re way too big – kind of unwieldy to me. So I try to stick with these you see in the photo – they will hold about 60 or so sheets or paper. Most of my recipes are clippings, so maybe more than 60 in that case. If everything were on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets perhaps it wouldn’t hold even 60. . . .carolyn

  4. AK Mom

    said on March 28th, 2009:

    I wanted to thank you so much for visiting my blog, and I’m happy to hear that you and your hubby enjoyed a nice trip to Alaska. :) I have enjoyed browsing around your blog, and will definitely be adding you to my blogroll and rss feed. You’ve got a wonderful blog here. :)

    Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed browsing mine, as I enjoyed browsing yours! . . . Carolyn T

  5. Marie

    said on March 30th, 2009:

    Those are very good looking cookies and I think they may be right up my alley. My boss likes the ones I always make at work. They are always very crisp and thin. I like them a bit chewier.

    Now that these cookies are gone, I’m hankering for another one. I’ll definitely be making these again. They weren’t too sweet for me, with just the right amount of chips and nuts. . . carolyn t

  6. elizabeth

    said on April 1st, 2009:

    I’ve made these a lot. Very good. I usually add a dash more salt. The recipe is from Cooks Illustrated. The original recipe calls for large cookies, using 1/4 c dough per cookie. Which I think is why they used the low 325 temp and a longer cooking time.

    I never went searching on the ‘net for this recipe, and it may have been under my nose all along. Thanks for the info. . . carolyn t

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